Naimbag a bigat! (Good morning!)

Assalamu alaikum wa Raḥmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

First, allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made this purposeful campaign successful through your invaluable support—the Local Government of Baguio City, led by no less than Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong; our very own DBM-Regions I, II, III, and CAR; our partner agencies, most especially the Department of the Interior and Local Government - Support to Local Governance Program Office and the Philippine Information Agency; our partners from Civil Society Organizations; our fellow public servants, and of course, our dear participants.

Truly, this gathering is an embodiment of the essence of open government—ang pagkakaisa ng mga mamamayan upang makilahok tungo sa bukás at mabuting pamamahalang bayan.

Alam po ba ninyo na ang Pilipinas ay isa sa walong bansang nagtatag o founding member ng Open Government Partnership o OGP? At makalipas ang labindalawang taon, patuloy pa rin ang ating pagsusumikap sa pagsulong ng open government.

Under the Administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., we have now institutionalized the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP) through the issuance of Executive Order No. 31 last June 2023. With this EO, all branches of government, despite being independent of each other, are now working closely to synchronize and complement our open government initiatives. 

We are also integrating open government vertically, and bring PH-OGP to the local level through OGPinas! Gusto po sana natin na hindi lamang po sa National Level, kundi pati na rin sa bawat local government maisulong ang adbokasiyang ito. 

And in line with our goal to create and open up new spaces for engagement and empower citizens to actively participate in governance, we are investing heavily in the digital transformation of our bureaucracy. I believe Mayor Benjie and the Local Government of Baguio City know this by heart. In fact, last April, I had the chance to visit the Smart City Command Center of Baguio, which is a very commendable and innovative undertaking.

Sa araw na ito, palagi ninyo pong maririnig ang transparency, accountability, at public participation—dahil ito ang mga layunin natin para sa OGPinas! Kasama na po dito ang tahaking makipag-diyalogo, kung saan mayroong boses na pakikinggan at mayroon ding makikinig—dahil ito ang tulay natin upang makapagbigay ng serbisyong tunay na tumutugon sa pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan.

So whether you are a government employee desiring better governance; a student leader hoping for better education for all; a civil society member seeking better public service; or a citizen dreaming of a better Philippines—whatever your purpose may be for participating today, each and every one of you has a voice in today’s discussions and will all be heard. Dahil bawat isa po sa atin ay susi sa bukás na kinabukasan.

Together, let us achieve our vision for an open government and let us empower others through this platform to make the changes we all desire for the betterment of our country.

Dahil kayo ang tagapagtaguyod ng Bagong Pilipinas. 

Mabuhay po kayo at ang OGPinas! 

Wabillahi Tawfiq Wal Hidaya, Wasalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.